Travel agents tell there has been a rushing of inquiries about inexpensive holidays in Fiji following the exclusion of New Zealand's High Commissioner by the military regime.Prime Minister Helen Clark has warned folk to believe cautiously before travelling to Fiji, saying bitterness could be shown toward New Zealanders.

But a travel agent says there has been no drop-off in tourist numbers. Melanie Pohl, from the Flight Centre, says many customers are aware that the ongoing problems may mean good travel deals.Meanwhile, there has been a big increase in the number of New Zealanders going on overseas holidays in the past month.

Figures from Statistics New Zealand show there were 16 percent more short-terms trips in May than there was the previous year - the largest increase for May on record.The increase was also the biggest monthly increase since December 2004, with just over 170,000 people leaving the country in May.The biggest jump was in the number of people going to Australia - up 17 percent.